The present invention relates to a novel and useful wind power apparatus.
Many systems have been proposed for harnessing the power of the wind. Wind power enjoys the benefit of tapping a source of energy which is renewable and relatively clean.
In the past, many wind and water harnessing systems have been proposed including windmills and turbines of various types. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,977,649 shows a wind energy conversion system in which wind energy is channeled through a funnel to a propeller at the end of a channel for generation of energy.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,816,697, 4,868,408, 6,109,863, and UK Patent Application GB2283285 describe hydroelectric power generators which use liquid fluid to turn turbines through generators that are fixed beneath the surface of a body of water.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,075,500, 4,143,992, 4,204,799, and Patent Application Publication No. US 2004/0183310 describe wind turbines in which a propeller-like device is combined with a funnel to increase the velocity of the air to the propeller generating device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,346 shows a windmill accelerator in which a frustro-conical funnel-like device directs air to the blades of a windmill in a swirling spiral motion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,596 describes tethered wind turbines which are floated above the ground surface to generate electrical power, which is then fed downwardly to the ground surface through a conductor.
United States Patent Application US 2005/0029817 shows a gimble mounted hydroelectric turbine which sits above a platform that runs along a track to generate power.
A wind power device which is capable of easily and conveniently generating electrical power would be a notable advance in the energy field.